TIL the hard way that 'budget' hostels in London cost me 3x more than I planned

I booked this place near Paddington thinking I scored a deal at 35 pounds a night. But then they charged 10 pounds for wifi, 5 pounds for luggage storage, and breakfast was another 8 pounds for burnt toast and weak coffee. Plus the shared bathroom line was always 20 minutes long in the morning. After three days I did the math and realized I paid almost 200 pounds total for a room with a squeaky bunk bed and no heat control. Next time I'm just going with a Travelodge near zone 3 or a proper hostel chain that's upfront about extras. Has anyone else gotten blindsided by hidden fees at 'cheap' places?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowanw3110d ago

Whoa wait, 10 pounds for wifi? That's wild, I've never seen a hostel charge separately for that before. I mean even the dumpy places I've stayed at usually include it in the room price. Getting nickel and dimed like that on top of a 35 pound bed sounds maddening, especially when you're already crammed in a shared room with no privacy.

grace_hunt849d ago

That 35 pound trick is just the latest version of airlines hiding fees until checkout.